


Cadet Yadav

by Sinister_Coffin



Series: Star Trek: USS Prometheus - Side Stories [1]
Category: Star Trek
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-01 12:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18334355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinister_Coffin/pseuds/Sinister_Coffin
Summary: Yadav's first day at the Academy. It's everything she hoped for, until she's faced with the specter of her world's checkered past.





	Cadet Yadav

“WAKE UP CADETS!”

Yadav scrambled out of bed, snatching at the uniform hanging from the bunk.

“Move! Move! Move! You have thirty seconds to be in uniform!”

Fortunately, the uniforms were jumpsuits. They were made to be put on quickly.

“Get on the line!”

Yadav had been on the line for about five seconds, standing at attention next to her bunkmate, a slim Andorian by name of Atov. She wasn’t sure what gender Atov was, the blue skinned race, with their pale eyes and antennae, had eight genders. Or was it four sexes? Both? Regardless, they’d come to rely on each other, even more than their fellow cadets on the ten-person squad.

“At ease.”

The instructor was a burly human, dark skinned, bald, the type of military man Yadav was familiar with on her homeworld of Ekos. He’d been the cadet squad’s instructor since their first day of the deliberately brutal first six weeks of Starfleet Academy. Commander Soreson demanded unreserved effort, and extracted it mercilessly.

“Congratulations, Cadets. You’ve all passed.”

The sighs were audible. Yadav and Atov grinned at each other.

“I’m handing out room assignments. When I call your name, grab your gear and report to Dormitory Five. Once you have your rooms, the day is yours. Classes start tomorrow. The computer will guide you to your room. First up: Atov! Yadav!”

The pair snatched up their gear, which was always packed during this stage, and hurried out of the barracks.

“I’m glad.” Atov said as they walked.  
“Me too.” Yadav said with a grin.  
“Do you suppose we’ll be together the next four years?”  
“My sponsor said that’s typical. Now that five-year missions are back, we’re expected to learn to live with the same roommate for a long time.”  
“You don’t suppose they’re pairing us because they expect us to have problems?”  
“That’d be counterproductive wouldn’t it?”  
“I suppose.”

They’re reached the transfer station. Other cadets where here waving or cheering on the newest crop of cadets to make it through Academy Selection.

“Ohhh~ this is embarrassing.” Yadav muttered, flushing slightly.  
“I think it’s meant to be encouraging.” Atov was blushing as well.  
“Ekosians aren’t quite so…effusive.” Yadav tapped the transporter controls for Starfleet Academy’s main campus.

In a swirl of particle-energy they were whisked through the aether to Starfleet Academy. Here, more cadets cheered them on as they ran towards Dormitory Five. Running this much was nothing. Months of pre-Selection training and the almost brutal gauntlet of the Selection process had both youngsters in peak condition. Yadav was particularly strong, and had carried their oldest squad member, a human in his forties, more than twenty kilometers after he’d torn three ligaments in his knee.

“Ensigns Atov and Yadav, reporting.” Yadav announced to the waiting kiosk.  
“Room one one eight.” The computer replied. “Floor twenty.”

The door opened to a mostly neat dorm room, with two apparently fleshly cleaned bed alcoves on the left. A young woman probably not much old than them turned a from stuffing what seemed to be too many clothes into a hamper and smiled. Yadav recognized her race right away, Romulan, it was the forehead ridges that distinguished them from their Vulcan cousins.

She smiled warmly and hurried over.

“Hello! I’m Ravell. You must be Atov and Yadav? I just got the alert you were assigned here.” She held out her hand to Yadav

It was something Yadav had seen a lot of, other races mistaking her for Human. She’d eventually learned what the polite way to correct other was. She held her hand over her heart, the center of her chest, and swept it palm up towards Ravell.

“Sorry, I’m Ekosian. But yes, I’m Yadav.”

“Oh!” Ravell quickly mimicked the gesture. “Like that right? It indicates openness of the heart to new friends? I like it, that’s about where the Romulan heart is too.” She turned to Atov and they clasped each other’s forearms, the greeting of the militant Andorians was widely known.

“I’m deep into xenoanthropology these days.” Ravell explained, “I should have noticed right away, you skin, humans don’t get that shade, no matter how much time they spend exposing themselves to ultraviolet radiation.”

Ravell suddenly seemed to realize she was keeping them in the entryway with their bags in hand.

“Oh! Stars where are my manners, come in!”

She helped them settle their bags and was talking about the origins of the Ekosian greeting to Atov. While Yadav unpacked, Ravell was explaining to Atov the history of the gross cultural contamination inflicted on Ekosians by John Gill, the Federation observer that was supposed to study them. Yadav flinched a bit when they got to the attempted nuclear “final solution” that Gill’s interference had led to.

“And, of course, I should have realized you were Ekosian right away. I’ve lived with Laras for two years and she’s-”

Yadav froze, that was a Zeon name.

At the same time the door whisked open and there, standing in the doorway was a young woman. He skin was pale golden tan, where Yadav’s was darker, still tinged with the gold the cousin races shared. Her hair was onyx black, long and thick, contrasting again with Yadav’s flame red, which was cut short. Her amber eyes fell on Yadav, who dropped her dark-eyed gaze to the floor, almost instinctively readying an apology.

When Yadav looked up, Laras was still there, studying here. Yadav tried not to flinch. The deep shame of what Ekos had nearly done to Zeon was deliberately ingrained deep into most Ekosians early on in their education. Laras seemed to take a deep breath before approaching. This close Yadav became keenly aware she was a head shorter at least than the Zeon.

“Yadav, I am Laras, I greet you in hope and friendship.” And she made the same gesture Yadav had when greeting Ravell. Which was natural since the gesture originated on Zeon.

“I…also hope for friendship.” Yadav returned the gesture.

Later, the two of them were alone in the room. Ravell was eager to show Atov around, but both Yadav and Laras had declined.

“I’m sorry.” Yadav started.

“Whatever for?”

“I froze, I shouldn’t have made you be the one to move first. It’s rude.”

“Ekosian shame over the Final Solution may be appropriate, but that does not mean I enjoy seeing it endured. I’m have been a cadet two years longer than you, I am allowed to be the more mature adult here.”

Silence hovered over the room.

“So you’re part of the latest Ekosian application for Federation membership?”

“I am. It’s not going to happen. Again.”

“Why?”

“Because a day before my application interview I was in a street brawl with about twenty others against about the same number of fascists.”

Laras burst out laughing.

“It’s not funny! I looked terrible. My arms and hands were still bruised from wrapping the chains too tight, three fingers were still broken.”

“But they didn’t ask about the brawl?”

“No, I was very confused.”

“I think Starfleet and the Federation are quite aware Ekos still has a fascist problem. And the kinds of people Starfleet wants are the kinds who are willing to brawl with fascists once in a while. You should look up the Punk movements of Earth, 1970s and 80s Earth Common Era. They’d probably look a lot like you and your friends.”

“So why do they let us join if our world still isn’t ready?”

“Because after serving for a while, even if you serve right up to retirement, you tend to go home and bring what you learned to your people. That’s why Zeon does it, and we’re no closer to membership than Ekos.”

“What? But…Zeons are-”

“No more or less flawed than Ekosians. We have our own problems, though they are a bit less violent than the fascists. The flaw in Ekosian shame is you tend to place us on a pedestal instead of simply seeing us as equally flawed cousins.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Again?”

“Sorry I expected you to be…more than mortal. That’s almost as wrong as what the fascists do.”

“Apology accepted. And to be honest, I expected you to be rather loud and brash, more muscular too. Zeon popular entertainment tends to portray you that way.”

“Well, I am quite strong. But my instructor said I’m “wiry”. And I only get loud if I’m in a fight or…er…just that.”

“Openness and honesty, that’s what expected between cadets and senior sponsors, Yadav. I’ll expect that from you, and return the same. That is if you’ll have me.”

“As a senior sponsor? Of…of course. I’d be honored!”

“You may not feel that way for long, my reputation is not stellar.” Laras smirked.

“Then it will be that much harder to bring you shame by accident.” Yadav smiled back.

Laras offered her hand, in the Human manner. Yadav hesitated before taking it. Both their grips were firm, steadfast.

“Oh! … hmm…”  
“There really is something to it.”  
“I think I like it. Feels…like a bond.”  
“Just don’t try it with the Vulcans.”  
“Right, the touch telepathy.”  
“That includes my girlfriend.”  
“You have a Vulcan girlfriend?”  
“Oh yes, she’s quite the radical.”  
“Tell me everything.”


End file.
